Newport News, Hampton to explore sharing services

Hampton and Newport News share a border of about eight miles, but should the two cities share more than proximity?

With both localities facing another tough budget in 2011-12, the idea of combining government services that could cut costs and soften that border line is gaining traction.

Both Hampton City Manager Mary Bunting and Neil Morgan, her counterpart in Newport News, confirmed that talks about the topic are ongoing.

"They're the most likely partner for us. It's premature to say if we will achieve any of (it) this year," Bunting said of Newport News.

Morgan said the two have started discussions about a few issues, and they'll see where it goes from there.

"We both have an open mind," Morgan said, referring to himself and Bunting.

Morgan said residents shouldn't believe the cities will abruptly combine police and fire departments or the parks. He said none of it may happen, or it could be a much less far-reaching partnership, such as combining a few out-of-the-public-eye administrative functions.

"It's easy to talk about, but it's incredibly hard and takes a lot of work to do," Morgan said. "We're both open to the possibility, but we don't want to reorganize just for the sake of reorganizing."

Newport News Councilwoman Tina Vick said she believes in the idea of combining services when possible.

"Especially since Hampton and Newport News are so close, I do see some collaborations," Vick said.

Morgan said one area the two cities are talking about is animal control. The Peninsula Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals decided that it would end its ties with area localities by 2013 because it no longer wanted to euthanize animals. The SPCA serves Hampton, Newport News, York County and Poquoson. Morgan said once the SPCA terminates its contracts, instead of each city having its own animal shelter, he believes partnering with Hampton would be a good idea.

The two cities currently cooperate on a number of fronts, Morgan said. For instance, you can check out library books in Newport News with a Hampton library card, and vice versa, and residents from the neighboring cities can often participate in the other city's recreation programs, he said. The Community Services Board, which serves mental health patients, serves both cities.

But Morgan agreed it's possible that more collaboration could be done.

Tedd Povar, associate director of the University of Virginia's Institute of Government, said the weak economy is making sharing services more attractive, as local governments strive to maintain services while tax revenues are down.

Still, Povar said it's a difficult task, and he's not heard of a widespread movement to combine government services.

"Boundary lines are very arbitrary, and yet people are fixated on them," Povar said. "It's amazing the emotion that goes into a city boundary or a state line."

Povar said when done well, the concept is a more efficient use of taxpayer money, as administering the service is often less expensive.

There are some examples of government partnerships on the Peninsula and in Hampton Roads. For instance, York County and Poquoson share a jail, the sheriff's department, the Circuit Court and social services.

The Peninsula Health District covers all communities on the Peninsula except Hampton, which has its own health department. Newport News Waterworks serves most of the Peninsula, and the Hampton Roads Sanitation District covers 17 communities throughout Hampton Roads. Hampton Roads Transit operates throughout the region with buses.

Bunting said specific areas were being explored with Newport News but she was unable to say whether any mergers would be put in place in time for the 2011-12 budget, when Hampton is facing cuts to make up a $14 million budget gap. Newport News is projecting a flat budget and is still operating under a partial hiring freeze.

"We don't want to prematurely release details on things were are working on." Bunting said.

She said Hampton City Council members will have a discussion when talks with Morgan get to the point when the "pros and cons" are apparent.

But Bunting said combining services can be more complicated than cost issues.

She said Hampton looked at merging its social services department with Newport News in recent years, but the idea was abandoned because the two cities have different methods of serving clients.

Bunting said Hampton operates differently from most other cities because one worker advises families on a variety of different programs. In many other cities, including Newport News, cities see a different worker for each program.

"We weren't prepared to give up on a one door-shop for our residents who needed social services programs, and other people weren't willing to do it our way, ," she said.